Needle picker control means for circular knitting machines



3,535,893 NEEDLE PICKER CONTROL MEANS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINESFiled Jan. 6, 1969 Oct. 27, 1970 J. BOYEIR," JR

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 27, 1970 J. H. BOYER, JR 3,535,893

NEEDLE PICKER CONTROL MEANS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 6,1969 --2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F3525 FI E E United States Patent O 3,535,893NEEDLE PICKER CONTROL MEANS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES James H.Boyer, Jr., Shillington, Pa., assignor to North American RockwellCorporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 6,1969, Ser. No. 789,148 Int. Cl. D0411 9/20 US. Cl. 66-48 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE Latching means for a needle up or narrowing picker ofa circular knitting machine which is operative to latch the picker inraised up picking position following its up picking operation duringreciprocatory operation of the machine in one direction and which isoperated to release the picker for movement to lowered position for thenext up picking operation during reciprocatory operation of the machinein the opposite direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally circular knitting machineshaving a needle cylinder adapted for both rotary and reciprocatoryoperation to form fabric tubes such as stockings with reciprocatorilyknitted heel and toe pockets, are provided with forward and reversestitch drawing earns, a pivoted needle up picker associated with eachstitch cam for rais ing needles from a knitting path to a non-knittingpath and a down picker for lowering needles from the non-knitting pathto the knitting path to fashion the pockets. Each up picker is normallynested in a depression in the upper surface of its associated stitch camin position to be engaged and operated by the butt of a leading needle,at one or the other end of the pocket forming group of needles, to raisethe needle from the knitting path to the non-knitting path. Afterreleasing the butt of the leading needle in the non-knitting path the uppicker is immediately moved toward its nested position in the depressionin the stitch cam by a spring at which time it engages and drives thebutts of a few of the remaining needles of the pocket forming groupdownwardly into the depression to deflect these needles from theknitting path. The needles so deflected are then raised as the buttsthereof again ride out of the depression in the stitch cam. Normallythis upward movement of the needles as the butts ride out of depressionin the stitch cam, which is at relatively high speed, is arrested by acenter cam associated with the stitch cams at the approximate level ofthe knitting path. However, it sometimes occurs that a more freelyoperating needle is raised before reaching the center cam to a levelabove the knitting path in which the butt thereof will strike and bedamaged by the end of the center cam.

Heretofore it was proposed to prevent this engagement between the uppickers and needle butts and the resulting defective operation of theneedles caused thereby by providing mechanism, such as shown in US. Pat.No. 540,151 issued May 28, 1895, for latching the up pickers in raisedpositions following each needle up picking operation thereof. In themachine of this patent the needle cylinder was stationary and thepickers were reciprocated with the stitch cams during needle pickingoperations. Each up picker was moved in a guide by a needle from loweredto raised up picking position in one direction of reciprocation of thepicker against the action of a compression spring and a first pivotedlever was moved beneath the picker by spring means to latch the pickerin raised up picking position. A second pivoted lever was operated by afixed stop member during reciprocation of the picker 3,535,893 PatentedOct. 27, 1970 in the direction opposite to its picking movement to movethe first lever from latching position to permit the picker to return toits lowered position.

In another proposed form of mechanism for retaining the up pickers inraised position after each up picking operation, such as disclosed inUS. Pat. No. 2,861,440, issued Nov. 25, 1958, the up pickers, which areof a conventional pivoted type, are connected by a link so that movementof one picker from lowered to raised up picking position during areciprocation of the needles in one direction moves the other pickerfrom raised to lowered position for its up picking operation duringreciprocation of the needles in the opposite direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly summarized the invention resides in theprovision of means for latching each of the up or narrowing pickers of acircular knitting machine in raised up picking position following aneedle up picking operation thereof in one direction of reciprocatoryoperation of the needles and means which is movable with the needlesduring a reciprocation thereof in the opposite direction for operatingthe latching means to release the up picker for movement to a loweredposition for its next up picking operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a portionof a circular knitting machine incorporating mechanism according to theinvention for controlling needle up picker devices of the machine;

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the mechanism ofFIG. 1 with parts removed;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with parts removed and other partsshown in dilferent operating positions;

FIG. 4 is a view on an enlarged scale looking in the direction of thearrow 4 of FIG. 1; 1

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the lineand looking in the direction of the arrows 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the lineand looking in the direction of the arrows 66 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is a view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the mechanism ofFIG. 1 with parts broken away for elearness of illustration.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings there is shown a portion of aconventional circular knitting machine adapted for both rotary andreciprocatory operation to form tubular fabrics such as stockings themachine including a usual circle of needles indicated at 10 which areslidably mounted in slots in a cylinder 11, sinkers 12 slidably mountedin slots in a bed (not shown) and a sinker cap 15 having cams (notshown) for operating the sinkers in cooperation with the needles informing yarns fed to the needles into courses of stitches of thestocking fabrics. The sinker cap 15, which is frictionally movable withthe needle cylinder 11 during both rotary and re cipractory operation,adjustably carries a bumper screw 16 for engagement with a bumper post17 to limit the movement of the sinker cap with the cylinder to positionthe sinker cams in relationship to the operating path of the needlesduring rotary and forward recipractory strokes of the cylinder in acounterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1. A second bumper screw20 adj ustably carried in the sinker cap is adapted to engage the post17 to limit the movement of the sinker cap with the cylinder to positionthe sinker cams in relationship to the operating path of the needlesduring reverse recipractory strokes of the cylinder in a clockwisedirection.

The machine is provided with a main knitting station indicated generallyat 21 having a forward stitch cam 22 for operating the needles 10 todraw stitches during rotary and forward reciprocatory strokes of thecylinder and a reverse stitch cam 25 for operating the needles inreverse reciprocatory strokes of the cylinder. Associated with thestitch cams 22 and 25 are up or narrowing picker units 26 and 27,respectively, for raising needles of group of needles, forming heel andtoe pockets of the stockings, from a knitting path to a non-knittingpath during reciprocatory operation of the machine. The machine is alsoprovided with a conventional down picker unit (not shown) for loweringneedles from the non-knitting path to the knitting path during formationof the heel and toe pockets of the stockings.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the picker unit 26 associated with the stitchcam 22 includes a bracket 30 which is secured by screws 31 to a coverplate 32 forming a part of the machine frame (FIG. 1), and a swivelmember 35 which is provided with aligned lower and upper gudgeons 36 and37 mounted in the bracket and a plate 40, respectively, secured byscrews or studs 41 to the bracket, in a manner to permit the swivelmember to pivot about an axis parallel to the axis of the cylinder 11. Apicker member 42, positioned in an aperture 45 in the swivel member 35and pivotally mounted on a pin or stud 46 carried in the swivel memberat right angles to the axis of the gudgeons 36 and 37 (FIG. has one arm47 adapted to be engaged by the butts of the needles, as hereinafter setforth. The picker member 42 has a second arm 50 for following engagementwith a cam plate 51 secured to the bracket 30 by screws 52 (FIG. 3). Aspring 55 connected to the arm 47 of the picker member '42 and an ear 56of the bracket 30 normally biases the picker member to its position ofFIG. 2 at which time the arm 50 is in a notch or low part 57 of the camplate 51 and the free end of the arm 47 is nested in a depression in theupper surface of the stitch cam 22 at a level to be engaged by theleading needle of the heel and toe forming groups of needles duringreverse reciprocatory strokes thereof. The picker unit 27 associatedwith the stitch cam 25 is identical to the picker unit 26, except thatcertain of the parts are reversed in both structure and operation topermit the picker member of unit 27 to be engaged and operated by theleading needle of the heel and toe needle groups during forwardreciprocatory strokes theref, and like parts of both units will behereinafter referred to by like reference characters.

During a reciprocatory stroke of the needles in the reverse or clockwisedirection the leading needle of the group of needles following theknitting path engages the arm 47 and rotates the picker member 42 andswivel member 35 of the unit 26 counterclockwise about the axis of thegudgeons 36 and 37 from the position of FIGS. 1 and 2 to the position ofFIG. 3. During this movement of the picker and swivel members about theaxis of the gudgeons the arm 50 is moved from the notch 57 of the camplate 51 to a high surface 60 thereof to also pivot the arm 47 of thepicker member upwardly about the axis of the stud 46 to raise theleading needle to the non-knitting path. After the picker member andswivel member are rotated about the axis of the gudgeons suffieiently todisengage the arm 47 from the butt of the needle raised to thenon-knitting path conventionally the spring 55 immediately acts to movethe picker and swivel members towards the position of FIG. 2. At thistime the arm 47 engages and drives the butts of a few of the remainingneedles of the heel (or toe) group of needles into the depression in thestitch cam to deflect these needles from the knitting path and needlesso deflected are again raised as the butts thereof ride out thedepression in the stitch cam. The butts of a few of the heel (or toe)group of needles are moved into and out of the depression in the stitchcam 25 in a like manner following each up picking operation of thepicker unit 27 in the forward or counterclockwise direction. During thismovement of the butts of the needles into and out of the depressions in4 the stitch cams it sometimes occurs that these needles are thrownabove the knitting path to a position in which the butts thereof strikethe end of the usual center cam (not shown) associated with the stitchcams which either bends or breaks the butts.

In order to prevent engagement of the up picker members of the pickerunits 26 and 27 with the butts of the needles remaining in the knittingpath means is provided, in accordance with the instant invention, forlatching each up picker member in its raised up picking positionfollowing an up picking operation thereof in one direction ofreciprocatory movement of the needles and for releasing the pickedmember for movement to lowered position for the next up pickingoperation during a reciprocatory operation of the needles in theopposite direction. The means for latching the picker member of the unit26 in its up picking position includes a lever 61 pivotally mounted onone of the studs 41 (FIGS. 1 and 2). A downwardly extending finger '62,secured by screws 65 to an outer free end of one arm 66 of the lever 61,is adapted to engage the swivel member 35 in the manner hereinafter setforth. The lever 61 has a second arm 67 for engagement with a downwardlyprojecting gear 70 of a member 71 secured to the sinker cap 15 by screws72. A spring 75 connected between the arm 66 and one of the screws 41tends to bias the lever 61 clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2.

The picker member 42 of the unit 27 is adapted to be latched in its uppicking position by a lever 76 pivotally mounted on one of the studs 41(FIG. 1). The lever 76 has one arm 77 with a downwardly extending finger81, secured to the free end thereof by screws '82, for engagement withthe swivel member 35 of unit 27 and a second arm 83 for engagement witha downwardly projecting finger 84 of a member 85 secured by screws 86 tothe sinker cap 15 (FIG. 1). A spring 87 connected between the arm 77 andone of the studs 41 tends to bias the lever 76 counterclockwise asviewed in FIG. 1.

Following a reciprocatory stroke of the heel (or toe) forming group ofneedles in the forward or counterclockwise direction and prior to thestart of the reciprocatory stroke of these needles in the reverse orclockwise direction the picker member 42 of the unit 26 is in theposition of FIG. 2 for a needle up picking operation. At this time thesinker cap 15 is in its position of FIG. 1 and the member 71 has movedthe lever 61 counterclockwise to disengage the finger 62 from the swivelmember 35 of the unit 26. Also at this time the picker member 42 of theunit 27 is latched in a raised up picking position, corresponding to theposition of picker member 42 of unit 26 as shown in FIG. 3, byengagement of the finger 81 on the lever 76 with a surface 90 on theswivel member 35 of the unit 27 (FIG. 7). During the subsequent reversestroke of reciprocation of the heel (or toe) forming group of needlesthe sinker cap 15 is rotated clockwise to the position determined byengagement of the bumper screw 20 with the bumper post 17 to move themember 71 out of engagement with the arm 67 of the lever 61 therebypermitting the spring 75 to turn the lever 61 to engage the finger 62with a curved surface 91 of the swivel member of the unit 26. Alsoduring this movement of the sinker cap 15 in the clockwise direction themember 85 engages and turns the lever 76 clockwise to move the finger 81thereon out of engagement with the surface 90 on the swivel member 35 ofthe unit 27 thereby permitting movement of this swivel member and pickermember thereon to a position corresponding to the position of the pickermember of the unit 26 shown in FIG. 2 for the next up picking operationthereof. Thereafter when the picker member 42 of the unit 26 is moved toits raised position by the leading needle of the heel (or toe) group ofneedles the spring 75 turns the lever 61 clockwise to move the finger 62into engagement with a surface 92 on the swivel member 35 of the unit 26to latch it and the picker member in the up picking position, as shownin FIG. 3.

During the next reciprocatory stroke of the heel group of needles, whichis in the forward or counterclockwise direction, the sinker cap isrotated in the same direction to the position determined by engagementof the bumper screw 16 with the bumper post 17 to move the member 85 outof engagement with the lever 76 to permit the latter to move intolatching engagement with the swivel member 35 of the unit 27 when thepicker member 42 of this unit is moved to raised up picking position bythe leading needle of the heel forming group of needles. Also duringthis movement of the sinker cap in the forward direction the member 71is moved to engage and turn the lever 61 counterclockwise to disengageit from the swivel member 35 of the unit 26 thereby permitting thisswivel member and the picker member 42 thereon to move to the positionof FIG. 2 for the needle up picking operation in the next reversereciprocatory operation of the needles.

It will be understood that the improvements specifically shown anddescribed by which the above results are obtained can be changed andmodified in various ways without departing from the invention hereindisclosed and hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine having a knitting station, a cylinderadapted for both rotary and reciprocatory operation, needles in saidcylinder, cam means at said knitting station for operating said needlesalong a knitting path to form courses of stitches during rotaryoperation of said cylinder in a forward direction and for operating agroup of said needles along knitting paths to form courses of stitchesduring reciprocatory operation of said cylinder in opposite directions,sinkers, a sinker cap having cam means for operating said sinkers incooperation with said needles to form said courses of stitches, saidsinker cap being movable with said needle cylinder in said oppostedirections to move said sinker operating cam means to predeterminedpositions in relationship to said needle operating cam means, needle uppickers associated with said needle operating cam means, one of said uppickers being movable from lowered to raised positions to raise aleading needle at one end of said group from said knitting path to saidnon-knitting path during operation thereof in one of said oppositedirections and another of said up pickers being movable from lowered toraised positions to raise a leading needle at the other one of saidgroup from said knitting path to said non-knitting path during operationthereof in the other of said opposite directions, the improvementcomprising means for latching each of said up pickers in said raisedposition following movement thereof from said lowered to said raisedposition, and means rotatable with said cylinder in each of saiddirections of reciprocatory operation for operating the latching means,for the up picker moved to raised position during reciprocatoryoperation of said cylinder in the other of said directions, to releasesaid last mentioned picker for movement from said raised to said 10W-ered position.

2. A machine according to claim 1 in which said means rotatable withsaid cylinder for operating said latching means for each said pickers torelease it for movement from said raised to said lowered positioncomprises said sinker cap.

3. A machine according to claim 1 in which said latching means for eachof said pickers includes a pivoted lever, and means for moving saidlever into latching engagement with said picker when in said raisedposition, and said means rotatable with said cylinder for operating saidlatching means to release said picker for movement from said raised tosaid lowered position includes said sinker cap and means on and movablewith said sinker cap for moving said lever out of latching engagementwith said picker.

4. A machine according to claim 1 in which each said picker is mountedon a swivel member and said swivel member is pivotally movable from afirst position when said picker is in said lowered position to a secondposition when said picker is moved to said raised position, and saidlatching means for latching each of said pickers in said raised positionincludes a lever and means for moving said lever into latchingengagement with said swivel memebr in said second position.

5. A machine according to claim 4 in which said means rotatable withsaid cylinder for operating said latching means includes said sinker capand means on and movable with said sinker cap to move said lever fromlatching engagement with said swivel member to permit said swivel memberto move to said first position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,428,332 9/1922 Jones 66-48 X2,105,965 1/1938 Booten 6648 X 3,376,050 5/1945 Green 6648 X 3,212,30010/1965 Marlette et al 6648 3,222,890 12/1965 Fregeolle et a1. 6648 XWM. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner

